Accountability
- Reward good teachers with smart incentives, like higher pay.
- Create a strong pipeline by allowing soon-to-be teachers to spend their entire last year in the classroom, offer alternative certification improvements, and better leadership trainings.
In 2022 one in 10 educators exited Arkansas’s workforce. Arkansas is building a profession that will attract and retain talented, committed teachers who ensure student growth and grow into leadership roles.
Commitments
In order to ensure the teaching profession in Arkansas is attractive and competitive, ADE commits to:
- Launch teacher residencies: Ensure all of Arkansas’s teacher candidates complete a one-year teaching residency alongside a skilled mentor by 2027.
- Waive initial licensing fees for first-time teachers: Recommend the State Board of Education waive first-time licensing fees from May 1 to August 31, 2023.
- Increase licensing transparency and efficiency: Save time and money by making teacher certification processes more efficient and transparent.
- Update workforce management provisions: Support local school boards and school districts as they update workforce management policies and practices.